West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
West Seattle skywatching expert/educator Alice Enevoldsen was looking ahead to eclipses as well as the spring equinox during her change-of-seasons sunset watch tonight at Solstice Park. The upcoming solar eclipse will peak at 20 percent coverage in our area, and unless the day/time (11:29 am Monday, April 8) arrives with heavy rain/fog, she’ll be leading a viewing event somewhere. (Here’s the eclipse-info page on her website.) She brought special viewing glasses to tonight’s event. Alice also talked about an upcoming lunar eclipse, overnight next Sunday to Monday (March 24-25) – explained here by Space.com, which says it’ll be “underwhelming” because it’s a shadow eclipse, not total coverage. Now, back to the spring equinox (which officially arrived less than an hour after tonight’s sunset):
As tonight’s attendees got to see firsthand, Alice hosts her gatherings at Solstice Park because of its unique features – paths and stone markers that line up with the setting sun at equinoxes and solstices, as seen in this photo (which also shows the globe she uses to explain planetary positions at those season-change moments):
The setting sun will be in almost the same path tomorrow night too – but likely not visible, as the forecast says clouds are on their way back.
That’s the notice posted on the doors at the Admiral/California Wells Fargo branch tonight, reminding people that tomorrow (Wednesday, March 20) is its last day – actually half-day, as the notice reminds customers that it will close for good at 11 am. We first reported the impending closure back in December. At the time, a WF spokesperson said they hadn’t decided on the future of the property, which WF owns and which houses several other businesses – all the way to Hoste on the north end – but at last week’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, an attendee announced it would be going on the market. We haven’t seen the listing yet, and we’re still awaiting more information from a WF spokesperson, but in the meantime, if you want to visit this branch one last time, tomorrow morning 9 am-11 am is your last chance.
6:14 PM: If you live/work in Fauntleroy, this event is for you: The Fauntleroy Community Association‘s annual membership meeting, best known as the Food Fest, is happening until ~8 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW). Local food/beverage businesses are here with food samples and local nonprofits/organizations are here with information. Updates to come!
6:22 PM: We’ve taken a quick spin around the room. Food and drink samples are courtesy of local businesses including Wildwood Market, the newly opened bel gatto, The Unsweetened Tooth, Village Green West Seattle, and Nola’s Events. Nonprofits and other organizations you’ll see include not only the FCA itself, which is selling brand-new Fauntleroy sweatshirts ($50):
… but also West Seattle Bike Connections, The Whale Trail, Morgan Community Association, Seattle Public Utilities with information about the Fauntleroy Creek culverts project, and Seattle Police (the mobile precinct is parked out on California SW for an “open house”).
6:40 PM: Also here – the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor), Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, Seal Sitters, and sharing a table on the south side of the room with MoCA, the West Seattle wing of the Emergency Communication Hubs Network, with a practical quick thing you can learn regarding preparedness:
Those props are there so you can learn how to deal with utilities in case of disaster – for your gas meter, how to turn it off, and for your water heater, how to access that water if service is otherwise interrupted. …Meantime, back on the Food Fest side of the event, The Birdhouse is here too, and of course so is Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering, which operates The Hall at Fauntleroy. Coming up at 7 pm-ish, the festivities stop down briefly for the annual FCA officer election. (P.S. Stop by the FCA table to find out more about the 1 pm Sunday, March 24, egg hunt that the organization is presenting!)
8:16 PM: The board was reelected by unanimous voice vote of those gathered; FCA vice president Catherine Bailey led the short business meeting from the stage, in president Mike Dey‘s absence.
(With a few other board members out of town right now, we’ll get the annual group photo at the next board meeting.) She noted a few more big dates on this year’s Fauntleroy calendar – May 21 is the annual Endolyne Joe’s fundraiser for the Fauntleroy Fall Festival. The donations-and-volunteers-powered festival, which also had a presence at tonight’s event, is happening on Sunday, October 20, this year.
Maybe you’ll help find Cameron‘s scooter:
I just moved to West Seattle from Belltown about a week ago and am excited to be in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, within a few days of moving, my scooter was stolen.
Make and model: Genuine Hooligan 170cc
Color: black
Year: 2016
License: 2K8049
We’ll add the police report # when we get it. (Added: It’s 24-069706.)
The man arrested after Friday night’s standoff at an apartment complex at Delridge/Thistle remains in jail today. He is not yet charged in the domestic-violence case for which officers were seeking him, but he is charged in two other cases for which he had arrest warrants, so we’re identifying him. 27-year-old DeMarco D. Gatterson is a resident of Auburn, according to court documents in those cases. He is charged in separate cases with drive-by shooting and assault for an incident on I-5 in Tukwila and with organized retail theft for an incident in Auburn. In the shooting, prosecutors say he pursued a relative “over many miles of South King County highways and streets … firing numerous rounds” at the relative’s car. The court documents say the relative, a cousin of the suspect, had come here to pick up Gatterson and take him to live in Las Vegas for a fresh start. The incident happened in late January and Gatterson was charged in early February. There was already a warrant out for him because he failed to appear at a probation hearing related to a DUI and hit-run case in Kent. He didn’t show up for hearings in this case either, nor for hearings on other charges filed against him in early February, related to a January theft of iPhones worth more than $4,500 from a T-Mobile retail store in Auburn. At one point during the theft, prosecutors wrote, Gatterson showed his own ID to a store clerk, and that’s part of how he was identified and charged. But until Friday night, he hadn’t been found or arrested in any of this; he does have an extensive criminal record, prosecutors say. What led to his arrest Friday night, according to SPD, was actually an assault one night earlier. Their incident summary adds that a gun was found in the search that followed that arrest. Gatterson’s bail is listed on the jail docket as $100,000.
For those wondering about the big emergency response early this morning on Myers Way: A 60-year-old man was injured and had to be extricated from his RV after a van hit it. The call around 6:20 am on the east side of the 9700 block of Myers Way, across from Camp Second Chance, first came in as an “explosion” – but that turned out to be the sound of the impact. The damaged RV was still there when we went by later in the morning – as was an SPD parking-enforcement officer. SFD tells us the victim was taken to a hospital by private ambulance. The van driver was apparently unhurt (we haven’t yet clarified their status otherwise).
Ten years have passed since the Seattle Preschool Program was announced at an event in High Point. It’s a levy-funded program meant to ensure preschool is available to every family who needs it, with tuition on a sliding scale. Over the years, the program’s marked milestones in West Seattle, too – with a mayoral visit to Delridge six years ago and another visit by city leaders in 2022.
(City photo – Monday SPP expansion announcement at preschool in Central District)
This week, two West Seattle sites were part of the program’s latest expansion announcement (though the photo op was elsewhere this time); some classrooms at Community School of West Seattle and the YMCA’s Early Learning Center at Westwood Village will be part of the SPP next school year, when the program will be serving almost 2,500 children in 151 classrooms at 97 sites citywide. (15 of the current sites are in West Seattle, all over the peninsula, from Arbor Heights to Admiral.) The program is accepting ’24-’25 applications now, too.
Sure sign of spring – Canada Geese families. Steve Bender photographed them at T-107 Park on the Duwamish River. Besides birdwatching, here’s what to do in the hours until spring arrives tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FREE PLAYSPACE: Drop in Tuesday mornings 9 am-noon at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (42nd/Juneau).
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon). All levels welcome. (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Regular weekly meeting of the Seattle City Council, 2 pm. There is a public-comment section – in person or by phone – if there’s something you want to tell the council. The agenda explains how. You can watch live via Seattle Channel.
PARKINSON’S SUPPORT GROUP: “This monthly in-person group is for people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers, spouses and significant others.” 2 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon)
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration continues at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION FOOD FEST: 6-7:30 pm annual meeting at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW), aka the Food Fest – local eateries’ food samples, local nonprofits with info, and the annual FCA board elections (around 7 pm). Come learn about and celebrate your community!
LEARN ASL: Free weekly classes, 6 pm at West Seattle’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (4001 44th SW). Start any Tuesday night! Details in our calendar listing.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
FREE TRACK RUN: Run with new (or not-so-new) friends! Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for this free weekly run at 6:15 pm.
SPRING EQUINOX SUNSET WATCH: It’s not a change of seasons without Alice Enevoldsen‘s sunset watch at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW, uphill), starting tonight at 6:30 pm. Learn what “equinox” really means, and see why the park got its name. Plus: If you need eclipse glasses for the upcoming eclipse, Alice will have some!
TOASTMASTERS 832: Online meeting to grow your leadership and communication skills, 6:30 pm. Our calendar listing has attendance info.
MAKE POTTERY: 6:30-9 pm “girls’ night” at pottery studio The Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW), sign up in advance to work on your project(s).
BINGO AT THE SKYLARK: Play – free! – Belle of the Balls Bingo hosted by Cookie Couture, 7 pm Tuesdays. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
TRIVIA X 4: Four places to play Tuesday nights – The Beer Junction (4711 California SW) now has Sporcle Pub Quiz with David at 7 and 8 pm … 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Zeeks Pizza West Seattle (6459 California SW), hosted by Geeks Who Drink; 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).
BINGO AT TALARICO’S: You can play 8 pm bingo every Tuesday. (4718 California SW)
What are you planning? Are community members invited? Tell everyone via our event calendar – please email the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Even with spring officially arriving tonight, June might seem far off. Think twice before you let that perception prevent you from registering early for this year’s Loop the ‘Lupe obstacle-course 5K (or one of its companion events) – you only have until this Friday to get the early discount. Loop the ‘Lupe is set to unfold over two-plus hours on Saturday, June 8 – starting with the obstacle-course 5K’s Elite Wave at 11 am, continuing with the Family Wave, then the 5K Fun Run, the Senior Saunter, and concluding at 1 pm with the Youth Dash. It’s all one big party on Walt Hundley Playfield, with music, food, and a beer/cider garden, too, Loop the ‘Lupe raises money for Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s social-outreach work. You can register at the lowest prices by going here right now! (WSB is Loop the ‘Lupe’s media sponsor.)
6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, March 19th, and spring arrives at 8:06 pm tonight.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
One more sunny day, according to the forecast, with a high expected in the mid-60s. Sunrise will be at 7:12 am, sunset at 7:21 pm.
(Monday sunset – photo by Jen Popp)
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route. Check WSF alerts for changes. Use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge:
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene). Thank you!
| Comments Off on SPRING ARRIVES: Equinox eclipsed by eclipses at Alice’s sunset watch